As he worked and made a few notes, she swore she saw a flash of red in his eyes. He must have noticed because the glow winked out as if it had never been.
He cleared his throat. “You okay?”
She winked at him and flashed a fang.
“Ah. Ravager, right?” He clenched his hand, and flames balled around it. He waved it at her before extinguishing the small fire.
“Yep. So you’re Vulcani?”
“Yeah.” They studied each other for a minute. Though not enemies, both Ravagers and Vulcani kept to their own kind. “I’m guessing you don’t want a human hospital.”
“I don’t want any hospital.” Kate fastened the buttons of her blouse and used the cold pack he’d handed her on her cheek. “Thanks. Can you drop me off at the next corner?”
He glanced past her out the back window of the van. “We’re in midtown,” he warned.
This section of town was much more mainstream than the downtown area. Here, Norms and a few Conduits, those humans affected by the Voids, coexisted in peaceful denial that Voiders actually existed.
“I just want out. I never got to finish my coffee.”
“No problem.” He called over his shoulder for the driver to stop at the corner. Then he turned back to her. “You sure you’re okay? Your cheek is turning blue, and your breathing is off.”
“Good ears.” She could hear the faint wheeze that would heal with a good rest, but she was surprised he could. Vulcani commanded fire. She didn’t know anything about them possessing healing talents.
“Yeah. That’s why they pay me the big bucks,” he drawled. The ambulance stopped, and he scooted past her to open the doors.
He smelled pleasant, even had a handsome face. But he didn’t make her heart race. Only two Ravagers did that anymore, and neither one was worth the effort it took to even think of them. Or so she kept reminding herself.
She sighed and hopped out of the van. “Thanks.”
He nodded and closed the door, and the ambulance sped away.
Needing a clear head and a break from her life, Kate walked to the nearest hotel. Work could keep for the next few days. Though part of the clan, she, like many Ravagers, had work outside the clan in town. Her software clients were happy, and she’d been ahead of schedule on sales for the new project. Working for herself as a consultant paid off when she needed time to breathe.
Like now.After paying for a room with her credit card, she locked herself in, stripped, and headed for a bath to soak her wounds, both physical and emotional. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep up this charade. Kate couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep, and she hungered for the touch of two males who were in lust with someone else.
“And I still haven’t had my coffee. What a shitty start to a shitty week.”
Chapter Two
Jesse glared at Logan and shoved the rest of his clothes in a bag. “Fuck you. I’m tired of waiting.”
“So am I, but this is how it’s done.” Logan glared right back at him and shoved a hank of dark brown hair out of his face. His amber eyes glowed with resentment. “You think I like waiting on her to claim me? Fuck, Jesse. I want Kate as much as you do, but she won’t come to me.”
“Why?” Jesse had to know. He’d been enthralled with the stubborn female since the day she’d been brought into Eric’s pack. At first, he’d cared for her like a big brother. But as they’d both matured, he’d sensed the possibility she’d make a fine mate. Problem was, a Ravager female ruled her family unit—her pack. As much as he wanted her, he couldn’t claim a revered female.
He’d thought his dreams had finally come true when Kate publicly announced their claim in front of the clan two months ago. But for some reason, she wouldn’t make the first move to seal their mating bond.
Logan sighed. “I wish I knew why she won’t accept us. At first I thought it was because she didn’t like us together. You know.” He and Jesse fucked daily. Ravagers needed sex, and Jesse and Logan shared a bond that went beyond clanmates or even packmates. They fit with each other. Deeply, truly. But there was still an emptiness in their lives only Kate could fill.
“Then I thought it might be Vicki,” Logan continued. “Kate doesn’t seem to like her, and well, we helped Eric mark her.”
Jesse remembered the occasion with fondness. They’d been a part of Eric’s pack for years. And Eric, the prime—their king—had wanted Vicki, a human with real power. Jesse and Logan had helped mark the prime’s new queen, folding her into Eric’s pack. But they hadn’t claimed her or bonded with her in anything but a physical way.
He frowned. “I don’t see where Kate would have cause for concern with Vicki. Hell, Kate helped Diana mark Sean, and I’m okay with it.”
Kate had fucked Sean, and hewasn’tokay with it. But Ravagers weren’t supposed to feel jealousy. As sexual as they were, sharing partners, even sometimes among mates, happened.
Logan scowled. “I don’t like thinking about her with anyone else.”
